MEDIA INFORMATION Salem Red Sox (67-70, 42-28, 2nd Half Champs) Carolina League Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (82-56, 38-31, 1st Half Champs) Carolina League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals CL Northern Division Championship Series Game Four • Frawley Stadium • Saturday, September 6, 2019 • 7:05 p.m. BEST-OF-FIVE SERIES BREAKDOWN Today’s Starting Pitchers Salem Leads 2-1; Salem Runs: 15 Wilmington Runs: 8 Wilmington: LHP Austin Cox THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE BEGINS: The Wilmington Blue Rocks continue their quest for a fifth Mills Cup Championship tonight Salem: LHP Jhoanathan Diaz in Salem. The Rocks trail their best-of-five series 2-0. It has been two decades since Wilmington last captured the Carolina League’s crown in 1999. In the Blue Crew’s first decade they won the league title four 2019 Regular-Season Series: WIL vs. SAL times in a span of six years (1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999). Split 10-10 BACK IN THE POSTSEASON: Wilmington clinched its first Date Site Result postseason berth since 2015 with its first-half CL North championship. That year Wilmington won the first half with a 38-32 record. The Rocks 4/4 Wilmington L, 10-2 won 44 games in 2019 and finished 19 games above .500 in the 4/6 Wilmington L, 2-1 first half. The Blue Crew clinched their 2019 crown on June 8. The 2015 Blue Crew eventually reached the Mills Cup Championship 4/6 Wilmington W, 2-1 Series by sweeping Lynchburg in the Northern Division Cham- pionship Series. 4/7 Wilmington W, 2-1 5/7 Salem W, 3-2 GAME ONE BLUES: The Wilmington Blue Rocks were trailing 4-0 before they had recorded an out in Game One of the Carolina 5/8 Salem L, 6-1 League Northern Division Championship Series, and could never 5/9 Salem L, 5-3 catch up in an 8-3 loss to the Salem Red Sox on Wednesday at Haley Toyota Field. Salem managed 17 hits—more than any Wilmington 5/20 Salem W, 2-0 opponent in 2019. 5/21 Salem W, 2-1 (10) GAME TWO AND IN A HOLE: For the second straight night the 5/22 Salem L, 7-0 Blue Rocks could not dig their way out of an early deficit, as the Blue Crew dropped Game Two of the Carolina League Northern Di- 5/23 Salem W 7-4 vision Championship Series to the Salem Red Sox, 5-2 on Thursday 7/7 Salem L, 9-7 at Haley Toyota Field. Tyler Esplin hit two home runs for the Red Sox, who handed Wilmington a loss that put the Rocks in an 0-2 hole 7/8 Salem L, 3-0 (7) in the best-of-five series. 7/10 Wilmington L, 3-1 GAME THREE RALLY: The Wilmington Blue Rocks were three 7/11 Wilmington W, 2-1 (8) outs away from their season ending on Friday, but instead rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Salem Red Sox 3-2 at 7/12 Wilmington L. 1-0 (7) Frawley Stadium. The victory extended the Carolina League North- 8/20 Wilmington W, 7-6 ern Division Championship Series as Wilmington pulled to within 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Brewer Hicklen’s safety-squeeze single 8/21 Wilmington W, 11-2 (7) earned the Blue Crew a dramatic walk-off win. 8/21 Wilmington L, 3-1 (7) BLUE ROCKS LOOK TO RALLY: Trailing 2-1, Cristian Perez 8/22 Wilmington W, 4-1 opened the bottom of the ninth with a single to right. Michael Gi- gliotti’s hustle then turned a sacrifice attempt into a bunt-single. Kyle Kasser followed with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third with only one out. Salem made a pitching change, Carolina League NDCS replacing Dominic LoBrutto with Andrew Schwabb, who promptly Best-of-Five, Salem Leads, 2-0 uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Perez to score the tying run. He then hit Kyle Isbel with a pitch before Hicklen laid down yet another bunt Date Site Result that sent the fans home happy and kept Wilmington’s season alive. 9/4 Salem L, 8-3 BUBIC AND ISBEL WERE HUGE: Despite 11 strikeouts, no walks and six one-two-three frames in seven innings pitched, Kris Bubic 9/5 Salem L, 5-2 had to settle for a no-decision because the Blue Rocks offense simply could not buy a clutch hit early. Wilmington stranded eight and went 9/6 Wilmington W, 3-2 1-for-its-first-9 with runners in scoring position. Finally, Wilmington 9/7 Wilmington broke through in the seventh. Gigliotti worked a one-out walk, which sent Salem deeper into its bullpen. LoBrutto entered and allowed a 9/8 Wilmington Kasser grounder that advanced Gigliotti to second base. Kyle Isbel got him in with a two-out single to center that tied the game. Upcoming Probable Starters and Schedule Sunday, September 8 Game 5 1:35 p.m. vs. Salem TBA vs. TBA 89.7 WGLS-FM (If Necessary) RADIO: Rowan Radio, 89.7 WGLS-FM WEBCAST: wgls.rowan.edu or bluerocks.com Wilmington Blue Rocks Game Notes MEDIA INFORMATION CONTINUED HOME RUN NOTES Blue Rocks vs. the Carolina League Blue Rocks 2-HR GAMES BY BLUE ROCKS (2 IN 2018 ) Opponent Record Home Road 4.14.19 Seuly Matias at CAR (Solo HR & 2-R HR) 7.18.19 Blake Perkins at WS (solo HRs) Frederick 10-6 6-2 4-4 8.21.19 Brewer Hicklen vs. SAL (2-run and sol HR) Lynchburg 12-5 5-2 8-3 3-HR GAMES BY BLUE ROCKS Potomac 10-11 5-6 5-5 8.22.19 Brewer Hicklen vs. SAL Salem 10-10 6-6 4-5 BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS (1 IN 2018) Northern Div. 43-32 22-15 21-17 7.17.2019 Brewer Hicklen and Dennicher Carrasco at Winston-Salem 8.21.19 Brewer Hicklen and Kyle Isbel vs. SAL Opponent Record Home Road LEADOFF HOME RUNS (1 IN 2018) 7.10.18 Nick Heath at FRE (Off big-league rehabber Chris Tillman) Carolina 9-3 4-0 5-3 GRAND SLAM HOME RUNS 2 (3 IN 2018) Down East 6-7 4-3 2-4 6.3.2019 MJ Melendez at MB Fayetteville 8-6 4-2 4-3 6.15.2019 Brewer Hicklen at LYN Myrtle Beach 10-3 5-2 5-1 WALK-OFF HOME RUNS (0 IN 2018) Winston-Salem 7-5 3-3 4-2 7.12.19 MJ Melendez vs. Salem Southern Div. 40-23 20-10 20-13 PINCH-HIT HOME RUNS (1 IN BOTH 2018) LAST TIME: 5.16.15 Dex Kjerstad at LYN Runners Left On Base INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUNS (2 IN 2018) Blue Rocks: 744 Opponents: 814 LAST TIME: 8.19.18 @ W-S Oliver Nunez (4th inning, solo HR) Numbers With RISP BLUE ROCKS HOME RUNS: 52 (63 IN 2018 / 23 HOME & 40 Blue Rocks: .228 Avg. (235-for-1,032) AWAY) Carolina 10 Lynchburg 6 Blue Rocks On... Down East 2 Myrtle Beach 4 Mondays: 5-5 April: 15-11 Fayetteville 6 Potomac 8 Frederick 9 Salem 9 Tuesdays: 13-6 May: 19-9 Winston-Salem 8 6-12 16-10 Wednesdays: June: FRAWLEY 16 ROAD 45 Thursdays: 12-7 July: 13-14 Fridays: 16-6 Aug: 19-10 Opponents Saturdays: 15-10 Sept: 0-1 2-HR GAMES BY OPPONENT (4 IN 2018) Sundays: 10-8 7.6.2019 Jackson Reetz at Pfitzner Stadium First Game of Series: 25-16 3-HR GAMES BY OPPONENT (1 IN 2018) Last Game of Series: 24-17 LAST TIME: Michael Chavis (SAL) 4.19.17 at Hayley Toyota Series Won: 23 BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS (0 IN 2017/0 IN 2016) Series Lost: 11 LAST TIME 8.10.18 Jared Young & Andruw Monasterio off Nolan Waston at MB Series Split: 7 BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK (0 IN 2018) Series Swept: 7 LEADOFF HOME RUNS (1 IN 2017) Rubber Matches: 2-7 LAST TIME: 7.3.18 Luis Gonzalez (W-S) off Gerson Garabito at Wilmington 2019 Roster (41) GRAND SLAM HOME RUNS (3 IN 2018) 6.30.2019 Trevor Craport’s (FRE) off Austin Cox (5-3 Loss) Pitchers (21) Catchers (3) Kyle Isbel 7.2.2019 Brian Mejia (POT) off Marcelo Martinez (10-4 loss) Andrew Beckwith MJ Melendez Rudy Martin Jonathan Bowlan WALK-OFF HOME RUNS (1 IN 2018) Sebastian Rivero Seuly Matias LAST TIME: 8.19.18 Yermin Merceds at Frederick Holden Capps Stephan Vidal Blake Perkins J.C. Cloney PINCH-HIT HOME RUNS (0 IN 2018) Austin Cox Infielders (10) Daniel Duarte Ricky Aracena INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUNS (0 IN 2018) Josh Dye Dennicher Carrasco C.J. Eldred HOME RUNS ALLOWED TO: 55 (92 in 2018/ 33 Home & 59 AWAY) Angelo Castellano Carolina 5 Lynchburg 4 Robert Garcia Offerman Collado Down East 6 Myrtle Beach 1 Jackson Kowar Jose Marquez Fayetteville 11 Potomac 9 Austin Lambright Kyle Kasser Frederick 9 Salem 9 Rito Lugo Winston-Salem 9 Cristian Perez Daniel Lynch FRAWLEY 25 ROAD 39 Marcelo Martinez Nick Pratto Josh Mitchell Colby Schultz Tad Ratliff Bruce Steel Brady Singer Collin Snider Outfielders (7) Daniel Tillo Marten Gasparini Nolan Watson Michael Gigliotti Tyler Zuber Brewer Hicklen TONIGHT’S BLUE ROCKS STARTING PITCHER #13 LHP Austin Cox Acquired: 5th Round Pick in 2018 Draft by the Kansas City Royals Born: Macon, GA Age: 22 (March 28, 1997) Resides: Macon, GA Ht: 6’4 Wt: 185 College: Mercer Bats/Throws: L/L Pitch Repertoire: FB, CB, SL, CH THE BOOK ON AUSTIN COX: The Kansas City Royals loaded up on college pitching in the 2018 Draft and the crop of picks included southpaw Austin Cox in the fifth round out of Mercer University (Macon, GA).